NCAA Football Predictions: Week 6 Opening Line Report and Picks

Butch Jones will not be the head coach of Tennessee next season. I'm as
sure of that as I am the sun will rise tomorrow. The Vols were embarrassed
41-0 at home against Georgia on Saturday, effectively ending their SEC East
hopes and sealing Jones' fate. The Volunteers were shut out for the first
time since 1994 and suffered their most lopsided home loss since 1905. None
of the previous six games in that series had been decided by more than
eight points, and UT had won the past two.

That loss dropped Jones' record at Tennessee to 33-23 overall and 14-20 in
the SEC. Against Tennessee's primary rivals -- Vanderbilt, Georgia, Florida
and Alabama -- Jones is 5-13. To buy Jones out will cost UT $9.2 million.
The good news: Tennessee won't lose this week because it's on a bye.
BetOnline has a prop available
on whom the school's head coach will be in 2018. The favorite is former
Oregon, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly
at +325. He would at least bring offensive excitement, something sorely
lacking right now in Knoxville. Georgia outgained Tennessee 378-142 and
limited the Vols to seven first downs. Jones called it the "worst offensive
performance" he has ever been a part of. Kelly doesn't really have any ties
to the south, if that matters.

First-year Purdue coach Jeff Brohm and Louisville's Bobby Petrino are each
+450. There's talk that Petrino is ready to leave that school because of
the expected dismissal of Athletic Director Tom Jurich in the wake of yet
another basketball scandal. Jurich is currently on administrative leave but
not expected back. Petrino's contract has some interesting language that
decreases his buyout by 50 percent if Jurich isn't the AD: If Petrino were
to leave before June 30, 2018, and Jurich is out, the coach's buyout would
go from $8 million to $4 million.

Other candidates listed on the prop are Memphis' Mike Norvell (+750),
Minnesota's P.J. Fleck (+800), former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops (+900),
ex-Tennessee quarterback and current Southern Cal offensive coordinator Tee
Martin (+900), former LSU coach Les Miles (+1000), the awesomely named
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter (+1800; he played at
UT), Mississippi State's Dan Mullen (+1800), Jon Gruden (+2000; he's not
going to college but I think will coach in the NFL again), Notre Dame's
Brian Kelly (+2500), some guy named Peyton Manning (+10000; never
happening) and, in what is clearly just a joke, Lane Kiffin (+10000).
Norvell makes a ton of sense to me.

No. 17 Louisville at NC State (+3):
The Thursday night ESPN game. The Wolfpack are ranked for the first time
since 2010 following a 33-25 win over Syracuse on Saturday to improve to
4-1 for a fourth straight season and 2-0 in the ACC for the first time in
11 years. Don't laugh, but NC State could be in great position to win the
ACC Atlantic Division if it takes this game. The Wolfpack already own a
victory over Florida State and get Clemson at home on Nov. 4. NC State
avoids Miami and Virginia Tech from the Coastal, and its only conference
road game left that looks challenging is Oct. 14 at Pitt (others are Boston
College and Wake Forest). I'm not here predicting winning the division will
happen, but this was a chic dark-horse team entering the season with a
terrific defense. The Cardinals warmed up for this one in basically a
scrimmage against Murray State, winning 55-10. Lamar Jackson played just
over a half and threw for 249 yards and three scores while rushing for 100
yards and a TD. The reigning Heisman winner is now just 13 yards short of
becoming the seventh player in ACC history to reach 10,000 total career
yards.The Wolfpack were blown out in Louisville last October, 54-13.
Jackson threw for 355 yards and three scores and rushed for 76 and another
TD. That was a bit of a letdown game for NC State, though, as it blew a win
the previous week at Clemson. The Pick: NC State.

No. 13 Miami at Florida State (+3.5):
Staying in the ACC, this game was originally to be played on Sept. 16 but
was moved due to Hurricane Irma. Both schools had had Oct. 7 as an open
date, so it was an easy decision. The Hurricanes impressively won at
previously unbeaten Duke last Friday night, 31-6. Star receiver Ahmmon
Richards made his season debut off a hamstring injury and had three catches
for 106 yards and a touchdown. Top running back Mark Walton left midway
through the fourth quarter with what appeared to be an ankle injury, but
Coach Mark Richt, a former FSU offensive coordinator, says he expects
Walton to play here. FSU got its first win of the season Saturday, 26-19
over Wake Forest to avoid the school's first 0-3 start since 1976. James
Blackman connected with Auden Tate on a 40-yard touchdown throw with 53
seconds left. Could this be the year Miami ends a seven-game losing streak
in the series? It easily could have won the past three, but often was done
in by Miami native Dalvin Cook, now with the Minnesota Vikings. Last year,
it was 20-19 as a Hurricanes' tying PAT try was blocked with 1:38 left. UM
led 13-0 at one point. Cook had 150 yards on 27 carries and a 59-yard TD
reception. The Pick: FSU.

No. 23 West Virginia at No.8 TCU (-12):
Both teams come off a bye week, and ESPN GameDay will be in Fort Worth. You
don't hear many people talking about the Horned Frogs, who were +10000 to
win the national title back on the eve of the season but are now +3000.
They come off one of the most impressive wins by any team in 2017, a 44-31
victory at then-No. 6 Oklahoma State on Sept. 23. Remember Kenny Hill? The
Texas A&M transfer, who was a Heisman favorite for about a minute in
2014, is completing 72.7 percent of his passes for 965 yards and nine
scores. TCU is converting a whopping 63 percent of its third downs, easily
No. 1 in the country. WVU has bounced back from an opening loss to Virginia
Tech with three straight blowouts of cupcakes. Florida transfer Will Grier
has thrown for 1,374 yards and 13 TDs, and he has two stellar receivers in
Gary Jennings (29 catches, 438 yards, one TD) and David Sills V (26
catches, 396 yards, seven TDs). West Virginia routed TCU 34-10 last year. The Pick: TCU.

No. 1 Alabama at Texas A&M (+25):
There's one easy way for Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin to ensure he has a job
in 2018 - win this game. We all remember that Johnny Manziel became a
household name and basically won the Heisman in A&M's 2012 upset in
Tuscaloosa. However, the Tide have won four straight in the series, and
they haven't been close the previous three. If Alabama wins by a rout
again, I don't see Sumlin surviving barring then running the table - and
that's not happening with Florida, Mississippi State, Auburn and LSU still
to play. The Aggies nearly got caught in a trap game this past Saturday at
home vs. South Carolina, escaping 24-17. Keith Ford ran for 70 yards and
two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 17-yard score in the fourth quarter.
True freshman Kellen Mond threw for 159 yards and ran for 95. He looks
night-and-day different from the season opener against UCLA when he
replaced an injured Nick Starkel and was an ugly 3-for-17 passing for 27
yards as A&M blew a huge lead and lost. Alabama destroyed Ole Miss 66-3
on Saturday. It was the most points the Tide had scored in a game since
1979 and the first time it has scored 50-plus in consecutive SEC games
since 1945.The Pick: Texas A&M (not to win).